Fairfax upsets top-ranked Montrose

The No. 3 Lions from California win the Iolani Classic

Matthew Shaw sank two decisive free throws with 45 seconds to play as Fairfax edged top-rated Montrose Christian 39-38 last night to capture the title of the 21st annual Iolani Classic.

Jerren Shipp's 17 points led the Lions, ranked No. 3 in the nation, to the upset win. Shipp, who provided clutch points throughout the defensive struggle, also grabbed six rebounds and hit two of his team's five 3-pointers. Shipp was named the tournament's most valuable player, following in a line of Shipp brothers who have left their mark in Hawaii.

"He's been here four years, seen his older brothers and other guys step up," Fairfax coach Harvey Kitani said.

The Lions won their third Iolani Classic crown while taking down the nation's No. 1-ranked team.

"I don't know if we're No. 1. We're just tickled to death to be here," said Kitani, now in his 25th season.

Montrose Christian (Md.) was led by 6-foot-10 Kevin Durant. The senior, who finished with 20 points and seven rebounds, was selected as the most outstanding player of the tourney.

Fairfax came through with a spirited effort despite the loss of two starters. Ja'Shon Hampton suffered a neck injury on Wednesday night and did not play. Primary scorer Chace Stanback suffered an ankle injury in the second half and did not return.

"With Chace and Ja'Shon out, they really picked up for each other," Kitani said. "They grew up a little tonight. They showed leadership and they did it together."

Shaw went to the line with 45 seconds left and swished both foul shots for a 39-37 lead. Ito, cold from the arc all night, missed a wide-open 3-pointer from the right wing.

Shipp had a chance to put the game out of reach, but missed the front end of a 1-and-1. Ito passed up another open 3-pointer, and Vasquez drove to the bucket and drew a foul. With 6.1 seconds to play, he swished the first shot, but after a Fairfax time out, was short on the second try.

With 3.9 seconds left, reserve Gilroy Hemsley missed both free throws for Fairfax. Ito rebounded, dribbled to midcourt and called time out with 1.2 seconds remaining. Durant's 25-footer from the top missed as time expired.

Early on, it seemed like Durant would score at will. He scored seven of his team's 11 first-quarter points, including a 22-foot trey and an alley-oop slam dunk. The Mustangs were content to launch from the perimeter against Fairfax's man defense through the quarter.

Shipp responded by banking in a 3-pointer and an 18-footer at the buzzer to give the patient Lions a 16-11 lead going into the second quarter. They still led, 26-20, with 4:21 left in the third quarter when Stanback went down with an injured ankle.

Fairfax persevered, locking down for the rest of the quarter. Shipp's free throws just before the end of the third gave the Lions their biggest lead, 31-22.

Vasquez connected on a tough 16-foot baseline jumper and added a fast-break bucket to bring the Mustangs within 33-27 with 6:19 left. The 6-7 swingman then drew a charging foul from Matthew Shaw, but Taishi Ito missed an open 3-pointer.

After Donovan White's free throws gave Fairfax an eight-point lead, Durant answered with a 3-pointer from the top to bring Montrose Christian within 35-30 with less than 5 minutes to play.

A steal by defensive stopper Adrian Bowie led to a breakaway slam dunk by Durant, and the Mustangs were down 35-32 with 3:41 left.

Durant stroked another trey off a pick-and-fade with Vasquez to tie the game at 35 with 2:40 remaining.

Shipp answered with a tough baseline drive in traffic to give his team a 37-35 lead. After Durant rushed a 3-pointer and missed from 22 feet out, Fairfax had control. However, Bowie came up with a key steal under the hoop for a layup to tie the game at 37 with 1:15 left.

From that point on, the Lions were simply clutch.

"They showed tremendous discipline and poise," Kitani said.

In all, Fairfax made 10 of its 15 free-throw attempts. Montrose Christian was five of seven from the stripe.

The Mustangs struggled from deep, making just five of their 20 3-point tries. Durant shot eight of 19 from the field, including four of nine from the arc.

Arlington Country Day (Fla.) 60, Mount Vernon (N.Y.) 56, OT

Devon Lamb hustled for 19 points, five rebounds and three steals to spark the Apaches over the Knights in the third-place game.

ACD overcame a sensational shooting performance by Knights forward Jonathan Mitchell. The 6-7 senior hit eight of his 11 3-point tries, including six in the first half. The University of Florida-bound Mitchell finished with 31 points and nine boards. Michael Colburn dished out 10 assists.

Lamb's follow shot with 1:45 left in overtime gave the Apaches the lead for good at 55-53.

A.J. Stewart's free throws pushed the lead to four, but Mitchell drained another 3-pointer to bring Mount Vernon within 57-56 with 35 seconds remaining.

Lamb sank a foul shot with 17 seconds left, and on his second shot, Stewart tipped in the miss for a 60-56 lead with 16 seconds to play.

That gave ACD, which made only 14 of 27 free-throw attempts, the breathing room it needed.

The win was a definite confidence-builder for ACD, ranked 10th in the nation. The Apaches, struggling against Mount Vernon's 1-2-1-1 fullcourt press, fell behind 46-36 early in the fourth quarter. However, ACD was resilient. Lamb came up with a steal for a breakaway layup that sparked a 12-0 run.

Lamb's feed to Jason Bennett for a layup gave ACD a 48-46 lead with 2:45 remaining. Mitchell sank one of his two foul shots with 1:40 left to bring the Knights within a point.

After Bennett hit a free throw, sophomore Kevin Jones hustled for a putback, tying the game at 49 with 1:06 left. Moments later, Chris Merriweather threw the ball out of bounds against the Knights' extended halfcourt zone defense.

With a foul to give, ACD's David Swann fouled Knights guard Michael Colburn to stop his penetration as time ticked down. Mount Vernon took the ball out with 6.6 seconds left. Jones' 3-point try from the right corner missed as regulation time expired.

Mountain View (Ariz.) 51, Urspring (Germany) 35

Nicolai Simon led Urspring with 11 points. Dima Rastatter, a 6-7 sophomore, added seven points and 11 boards. Urspring shot just 32 percent from the floor, including three of 11 from the arc.

Palm Beach Lakes (Fla.) 51, Iolani 33

Corey Claitt poured in 19 points and Steve Toyloy added 17 points as the Rams seized control in the second half of the seventh-place game against the host Raiders.

Toyloy, a 6-8 center, pulled down 11 rebounds as the Rams dominated the glass, 35-20.

Kawika Shoji had 14 points and eight rebounds to pace Iolani, which led 21-20 at halftime. The Raiders committed 17 turnovers and shot 29 percent from the field (13 of 45).

Punahou 49, Kahuku 43

In a matchup of schools that played for the state Division I football title three weeks ago, Miah Ostrowski pumped in 15 points as the Buffanblu overcame a tenacious effort by the Red Raiders.

Center Spencer McLachlin also scored 15 points while grabbing for nine rebounds. Punahou relied on its platoon system to stay fresh and be successful with its fullcourt press, which forced 21 Kahuku turnovers.

Kahuku, which played 2-3 zone most of the way, hustled to stay in the game. Although the Red Raiders shot just 31 percent from the floor, they outrebounded the taller Buffanblu 28-19 and forced 25 turnovers. They also grabbed 15 offensive rebounds, but struggled to make putbacks against the tall front line of Punahou.

After trailing by as many as 11, Kahuku made a final run in the fourth quarter. A steal and layup by Kevin Unga brought Kahuku within 46-41 with 2 minutes left, and a free throw by his twin brother, Devin, cut the lead to just four.

However, Ostrowski hit a pair of foul shots to give Punahou a 48-42 lead with 23 seconds left.

Okesene Ale led Kahuku with 22 points, nine rebounds and five steals. He sank nine of his 10 free-throw attempts. Kevin Unga finished with nine points and seven caroms and Devin Unga added six points and six of his team's 15 steals.

The Unga brothers and Ostrowski played in the football championship game, all in key roles for their respective teams.

Maryknoll 47, Nanakuli 32

Tyler Tsukazaki scored 20 points and had three steals as the Spartans pulled away from the Golden Hawks in the final quarter.

Travis Liu added 13 points, six rebounds and four steals, and Tommy Nguyen tallied 10 points and five steals. As a team, Maryknoll made all 22 of its free-throw attempts to overcome 1-for-9 shooting from 3-point range.

Levi Luavasa led Nanakuli with 10 points. The Golden Hawks outrebounded Maryknoll 26-19 thanks in part to Isaac Iuta's nine boards, but the team shot just 33 percent from the field and committed 19 turnovers.

Kalaheo 57, Kohala 39

Clifton Pires scored 18 points on 8 of 9 shooting as the Mustangs lassoed the Cowboys. Ikaika Kahoopii led Kohala with 11 points and six rebounds. The Cowboys outrebounded the Mustangs 27-21, but shot just 43 percent from the field. Kohala shot 0-for-6 from the arc and only 3-for-8 from the foul line.

Leilehua 47, Damien 42

Clayton Laurel scored 15 points and pulled down six rebounds as the Mules rallied past the Monarchs. Just two days ago, the 6-3, 255-pound senior gave the University of Hawaii a verbal commitment to play football.